Dorothy's dreams
by Clayton Overstreet
Summary: Roger, Dorothy, and the rest...


I don't own these characters or profit from them  
  
Dorothy's dreams  
By, Clayton Overstreet  
  
Roger Smith lay in bed trying to sleep. He didn't know why he was having trouble sleeping tonight. It was the weekend and the only day of the week he had convinced Dorothy to let him sleep in. But even if she did decide to wake him up it was far too early for that. About 1:00 a.m. he had pulled the pillow over his head, the tossed and turned for a while. Finally he gave up and decided to go out to the balcony.  
He stepped into his slippers and grabbed his robe off of the rack by his bed. Walking through the dark house he headed for the back door. Unfortunately in the dark he banged his knee against something hard. "Ahhh! Sometimes having black furniture doesn't seem like such a great idea." Still rubbing his leg Roger slowly worked his way to the balcony. The cool night air hit him in the face as he opened the glass door.   
Roger smiled as he sat near the edge and stared up at the stars. Most nights the light from the domes made it hard to see, but tonight the stars shown brightly. "I haven't been out here at night in a while." He said to himself. The quarter moon shown down over the city around him. Looking closely he could almost make out some of the people on the street below.   
Suddenly he heard a terrified scream from above him. Looking up, he saw light come on in Dorothy's room. Without thinking he turned and ran into the house and straight up the stairs, tripping over a chair as he went. By the time he got to her door Norman was there too.  
Opening the door they looked inside and saw Dorothy sitting in a corner of the room with her hair band/light shining brightly. She was wrapped in her sheet and didn't even look up as the door opened. Looking around the room Roger didn't see anything. "Norman, go back to bed. I'll find out what's wrong."  
The old man nodded. "Of course master Roger." He disappeared back down the hallway without another word.   
Walking into the room Roger looked carefully around trying to think of something to say. He could see the portrait he had painted of Dorothy sitting over her dresser and the dress he had bought her neatly folded on the chair by her bed. He blushed as he realized that she was actually naked under her sheet. Since Norman had explained that she was part biological it had gotten harder for him to think of her as just an android.  
Shaking his embarrassment off, Roger walked over and sat down in front of her. "Do you want to tell me what happened?"  
Without looking up or changing her face from it's usual deadpan look she said, "I had a bad dream."  
Roger looked at her in shock. "You can dream?"  
She turned to look at him, "Yes, I can. The biological components in me require sleep and though I am not sure how or why, I do dream."  
Roger smiled. "I see. Do you want to tell me what this dream of yours was about?"  
The light turned off as the band retracted into her head. "I do not wish to be a bother. I am sorry I woke you up."  
He laughed. "I was already awake."  
She looked up at him in the dark. "So the one day you don't let me wake you up you don't sleep?"  
He smiled and stood up. Turning on the light he smiled at her. "It would seem so." Turning back to her he extended a hand and helped her onto the bed. "But you never answered my question. What were you dreaming about that scared you so badly?"  
She pulled the sheet closer around her body. "This time it was about the mega deuce."  
"That one we saw down below?" He asked.  
She nodded. "Yes. When it accessed me I couldn't stop it, but I could tell that it wanted more from me than just my memory." She stopped and looked away. "But it is irrational that I would be afraid of it still. You destroyed it and..."   
He smiled and put a hand on her shoulder. "It's not so irrational Dorothy. I haven't seen you afraid of much, but that thing was different. Look, why don't you try to get some more sleep?" He turned to go, but was stopped when she suddenly grabbed his hand. He looked back and for once saw something other than her usual blank look.  
"Please don't go Roger. I do not wish to be alone right now." She said. "Just stay until I fall asleep."  
Her eyes were looking straight at him, pleading with him not to go. Finally Roger nodded. "All right Dorothy, I'll stay until you fall asleep."  
Nodding she lay back on the bed, closing her eyes. "Thank you Roger."  
He turned off the light again and lay down on the bed next to her. He was surprised when she rolled over and put her arm over him, but he didn't complain. In fact he suddenly felt somewhat tired himself. Taking one last look at Dorothy he closed his eyes and went to sleep.  
  
The next morning he woke up and looked around. He was still in Dorothy's bed, but she wasn't there. Sniffing he could smell something cooking and smiled. Getting up he made up the bed and headed downstairs. As he walked he winced slightly and remembered running into the table and chair the night before. "Oh well, it won't kill me."  
Walking into the dining room he saw Dorothy and Norman eating pancakes. Norman noticed him enter and quickly got up to get his breakfast. Sitting down Roger looked across the table at Dorothy. "Did you sleep well?"  
She looked back and nodded. "Yes, thank you."  
Grinning he shrugged it off. "It was no problem." He paused and looked at her. "Though if you really want to thank me you could smile."  
She looked up from her plate confused. "Why do you want that?"  
Norman had returned and put his plate down in front of him. "Thank you Norman." He took a bite of his pancakes and looked back at Dorothy. "I like to see pretty girls smile Dorothy, but if you don't want to forget about it." He took another bite of food and a drink of juice.  
Dorothy set her fork down. "I still do not understand."  
Roger sighed and set his glass down. He looked at her for a minute, and then glanced at Norman. The old man simply sat there quietly. Finally he looked back at Dorothy. "The fact of the matter is that I haven't seen you smile since the night I saw you singing at the club, not counting that psychotic android that looked like you. Her smile wasn't exactly something I want to remember."  
Without another word to her, he finished off his breakfast. He looked over to Norman and said, "I'm going out, so there is no need to make lunch today."  
Norman nodded. "Very well. I believe I will do the shopping."  
"What should I do today Roger?" Dorothy asked.   
Rubbing his chin Roger looked at her for a minute. Finally a grin crept across his face and he nodded. "I want you to go out and do something you enjoy. Anything that makes you happy."  
Dorothy looked at him and said. "What would you suggest?"  
He shrugged. "I don't know. In fact don't tell me." Walking out of the room he smiled to himself. "Whatever you do, just enjoy yourself."  
Once he was gone Dorothy turned to Norman. "Do you have any idea why he did that?"  
Norman smiled. "It is not my place to say Miss Dorothy, but if I were to hazard a guess I think he may be trying to teach you something." He picked up the empty plates and turned towards the kitchen.   
  
Roger drove up to the police station at about 11:12 that morning. He walked inside and headed straight for Dastin's office. Dastin looked up and frowned. "Smith? It's too early for you. Go away."  
Roger smiled. "Is that anyway to talk to an old friend, let alone your main source of alcohol?"  
Dastin smirked. "So what do you want?"  
He shook his head. "Not a thing. My schedule is clear today, so I decided to take a spin around the city. Why? Is there something I should know about?"  
Dastin actually smiled. "Nope, not a thing. Today seems pretty quiet so far."  
"Well then, want to join me for lunch? I was going to treat myself to one of the finer places in the domes." He said.  
"Sorry, but I'm not allowed. Regulations and all that." Dastin mumbled unhappily.   
Roger smiled and turned to leave. At the door he stopped and looked back. "I'll pick you something up." He left before Dastin could thank him.   
Back in his car, Roger drove along the one road in the main town that wasn't full of potholes. It led to the smaller, pink dome. The guard at the entrance recognized his car and let him in without trying to stop him. Roger sighed as he looked at the rows of neat and clean buildings lining the street.  
He could have lived in the domes. He was rich enough. But something about them had always bothered him, along with the people who lived there. He knew just a bit too much about how most of them got their money and not enough about the rest of them. But since this was where the rich people lived it was also where all the best things were made.   
He smiled as he pulled up to the front of Forgetfulness, one of the more expensive restaurants. The valet tried to take his keys but Roger shook his head and pushed a button on his watch. The car drove itself to an empty space, and then sealed up. Roger turned to go in and handed the valet a tip anyway.   
Inside it was almost awe-inspiring. The walls were so white that it was hard to look at them. This worked well with the dark blue stage, where the house band played quiet music. Roger sat down at a small table with two chairs at it and picked up a menu. After looking it over he waved a waiter over and gave his order. "...And give me a second one to go."  
The waiter nodded and headed towards the kitchen. While he waited Roger closed his eyes and listened to the soft music. "So this is where the city's top negotiator goes to relax huh?" A voice asked in his ear.  
Startled he sat up and turned to see the woman who called herself Angel standing next to him. "Too moral to live with us, but not to enjoy the perks?"  
He smiled and watched her sit down. "Even I have to eat. Besides, what else would I spend my money on?"  
She smirked at him. "I would think outfitting the mega deuce would take up a lot of your funds."  
"I don't know what you mean." He took a sip of his water. "If you ask me that big black robot, I think it runs itself."  
Angel laughed. "And I suppose it buys it's own missiles and just happens to show up whenever you are involved?"  
Roger nodded. "Could be." The waiter arrived with the food. Angel looked at him and made her own order, then turned back to Roger.  
"So then, have you found any new memories?" She asked. Roger quietly began eating while she stared at him. "Well?"  
Swallowing his food he looked at her. "I try to make my own memories. Why are you so interested anyway? Trying for a promotion with your boss at Paradigm?"  
She laughed lightly. "No, I'm simply curious. That's all. You are a very interesting man Roger Smith. I'd like to get to know you better."  
He grinned and took another bite of his food. "That's something most people around here say about themselves. But if you are really all that interested I suppose you could tag along with me today. I have nothing else planned. In exchange I'd like to learn a little more about you as well."  
She grinned. "Always the negotiator. Suppose I decide to keep my secrets?"  
He shrugged. "Then we'll have to see what happens."  
  
Dorothy walked along the side of the street absently looking around. She still wasn't sure exactly what Roger wanted her to do. Anything he could name she could do, but he had refused to name anything. Norman had suggested that he was trying to teach her something, but she had no idea what it could be. She remembered how he kept complaining that she did things to perfectly. He had even gone so far as to have that android friend of his teach her to play imperfectly.  
So what is it that he wanted her to do? Smile. That was it. But he didn't want her to do it if she didn't want to. That was what she liked about him. He may be a sexist; ego driven, louse, but he had never treated her like a machine. He could have simply ordered her to smile and she would have, but he hadn't.  
Now she had to figure out how to do what he wanted. The last time she had smiled had been when she was singing for her grandfather. Maybe that was the place to go. Turning down another street she began to walk towards the Nightin Gale.  
  
Roger glanced at the lady in the seat next to him. He had to admit she was rather pretty. But none of the questions he'd asked her had told him anything about her. She had just given elusive and noncommittal answers.   
After finishing lunch they had left in his car. Roger had first driven to the police station to give Dastin the food he had promised him. Unfortunately he had refused to owe Roger any favors and had insisted on paying the full price of the meal. After that he had simply driven around for a while.   
"Was there anyplace in particular you were planning to go?" Angel asked.  
He smiled and shook his head. "Not really. Is there anyplace you wanted to go?"  
She smiled and laid her hand on his leg. "Well I was hoping to see your home. I didn't see much on my previous visit."  
He smiled and turned the car towards his house. "If you insist. But I have to warn you, nobody is there right now so it may be lonely."  
She winked at him. "I'm sure we can find something to keep ourselves occupied."  
  
Dorothy looked out at the crowd in front of her. It hadn't taken much to get permission to sing again. The manager practically insisted. "I haven't seen you here since the incident with your grandfather. We have all missed your singing Miss Wayneright. But are you sure black is the right color for you?"  
She looked at him. "I like this dress." Without another word she stepped out onto the stage and looked out at the audience. Some of them recognized her and clapped, but most of them just looked bored. That all changed when she motioned to the band and began singing. "I dream of the day that you will hold me tight. Protecting me from the dangers of the night. Bad dreams have gone away, I'm hoping that you'll stay... with me."   
The song continued for three more minutes. When the last note faded away, the audience stared at her in awe. Then everyone began to applaud and ask for more. Dorothy shook her head and walked off the stage. Once the next singer began Dorothy headed towards the door passing the manager on her way out.   
"When can we expect you back?" He asked.  
She shook her head. "I won't be coming back."   
He looked at her oddly. "Why did you come here today then?"  
Dorothy looked back at the stage for a moment. "I thought it might make me happy. I was wrong." Without another word she left the building.  
  
Roger looked at Angel as she sat down on the couch. "Would you care for a drink?"  
She grinned up at him and giggled beautifully. "Why Mr. Smith... Oh I guess I could stand some wine."  
Smiling Roger turned to pour them each a glass of red wine. In the reflection of the cabinet he noticed that as soon as his back was turned her smile vanished and she began studying the room around her carefully. But when he turned back she was once again smiling and looking right at him. It was almost enough to make him sick.   
As she took her glass she smiled up at him. "You know I've been thinking about you a lot Roger."  
He smiled. "And just what have you been thinking?"  
She took a sip of wine and set her glass down. Standing up she walked over to him and took the glass out of his hand, setting it next to her own. Then she put her hands on his shoulders. "How about I show you?" Without warning she leaned in and kissed him. It lasted for almost a minute before she realized that he wasn't kissing her back. "What's wrong?"  
Roger smiled and removed her hands from his shoulders. "Sorry, but I don't sleep with people I don't trust. Or who put on fake smiles."  
Angel glared at him and motioned to the wine. "Then what's all this?"  
Roger smirked. "Negotiations. I wanted to find out more about you and see what kind of person you are."  
She looked around the room again, her eyes locking on the portrait of Dorothy above the fireplace. "Oh I see, you prefer machines."  
Roger frowned and turned away from her. "Get out."  
She smiled and walked up behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist, "Wouldn't you like to try a real woman... Hey!" The last was said as Roger pushed her back onto her butt.  
"Nobody insults a guest in my home but me. Now get out and don't come back." He didn't even bother looking at her.   
Angel picked herself up off of the floor and stared at him. "Fine, if that's what you want." Turning she walked out the door.   
Once he heard the door close Roger turned to look at the portrait that had caught Angel's attention. It was warped and barely resembled Dorothy at all. The only part he had gotten right had been the eyes. He could have done the whole thing perfectly of course, but it had been one of his attempts to teach Dorothy about the beauty of flaws. One of his more successful ones actually.   
Unfortunately he was so wrapped up in his own thought that he missed the bottle being swung at his head.  
  
Dorothy arrived home late in the afternoon. She had tried several ways to try to be happy. First she had gone to a restaurant and ordered her favorite meal. When that hadn't worked she had tried a petting zoo. The kittens had been cute, but they hadn't made her feel any happier. She was beginning to think it might be something wrong with her programming, but she had done a diagnostic and everything was fine.  
No, the capability was still there, just not the desire. It was true that she hadn't been truly happy since her grandfather had been killed. But that wasn't logical. He had been very old and she had known he would die soon. So why did it effect her like this? The same question applied to her dreams. While she could control her outer reactions, every time she thought about what had happened with the mega deuce her insides screamed in fear. After that day Big O was the only one that she could even stand.  
After a day of failure she had decided to head home. Along the way she had been considering what to tell Roger. He probably wouldn't be mad, but he would definitely be disappointed. For some reason she felt that this had been important to him.  
Walking in the door she stepped into the living room. She noticed two glasses of wine sitting on the table. That in it's self didn't bother her. Roger often offered his guests something to drink. But the fact that not only was there lipstick on one glass, but they were hardly drunk out of.   
Dorothy frowned. Oh well, it wasn't like it was any of her business. There was no reason for her to be jealous. But still...  
"Ah, Miss Dorothy. So glad to see you home. Would you care to help me with the groceries?" Turning she saw Norman coming through the door. He was carrying several large bags full of food.   
Dorothy nodded and followed him into the kitchen. Once he set the bags down he set about putting groceries away and making tea. Dorothy glanced at him. "So what did you do today?"  
Norman smiled. "I made a brief stop at a casino then went about with the shopping. And yourself?"  
Dorothy put the last can away, "I failed to do what Roger asked."  
Norman put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure you tried Miss Dorothy. Master Roger would not expect more of you." Norman looked into her eyes. "Just remember, he didn't send you out like that for himself, no matter what either of you may think." He pulled back and ran a finger through his mustache. "Why don't you go into the living room while I finish up?"  
Dorothy nodded and walked into the living room, leaving Norman to do his work. Meanwhile she began thinking over what he had said. If he had not done it for himself, then why? What would anyone else get out of her happiness? Her eyes wandered absently around the room while she thought.  
Suddenly she noticed the portrait of her that usually hung on the wall. It was in the usual place, but there was a huge slash down the front of it. She looked at it curiously, and then heard a soft moan from behind the couch. Getting up Dorothy walked around and saw Roger lying on the floor. Blood was trailing down his forehead onto his eyes.   
"Roger!" Without thinking she dropped to her knees beside him. "Norman, come here quickly!"  
Norman rushed into the room and saw Dorothy put her hand on Roger's back. "Wait, don't move him Dorothy. Let me see if he's all right?" Kneeling down Norman ran his hands gently over Roger's skull. "I don't feel a split. I think he just got a knock on the head."  
Dorothy looked down at him, forgetting to keep the emotions from showing. She shook Roger's shoulder. After a minute he opened his eyes and glanced up at them. "Norman, in the future, no one is allowed in without my permission. No more exceptions."  
Norman smiled and nodded. "Very good sir."  
Roger sat up and smiled at Dorothy, seeing the look on her face. "Is that emotion I see? And just for me."  
Dorothy frowned. "You are a louse Roger Smith." Then without warning she pushed her face into his shoulder and hugged him to her.  
Roger smiled and ran a hand through her hair. "I know." He looked up at Norman. "So where is she?"  
"Where is who sir?" Norman asked.  
Roger let Dorothy go and rubbed his head. "Miss Angel. I turned her down and sent her on her way just before this happened. I doubt this is just a coincidence." He stopped and looked at his wrist. "Oh no, she's got my watch! She must be after Big O!"  
Trying to get up he almost fell over, but Dorothy caught him. Running down the hall the three of them ran to the elevator that lead down to where the mega deuce was kept.  
  
Angel groaned in frustration and not the good kind either. She had spent twenty minutes figuring out how to get into the robot. Then there was the weird message as she sat down. "'Cast in the name of good. Ye not guilty.' What the hell does that mean?" Shaking her head she looked around at the buttons and levers around her. She had spent half an hour trying to figure out which one started the robot and had finally found one that looked promising. However, when she pushed it a ray of pink light had vaporized the catwalk in front of her.  
Why couldn't that louse have just fallen for her charms and told her about it? She really had liked him. How could he possibly like that android better than her? That robotic bitch probably wasn't even anatomically correct. Just some little toy Roger kept to play with.   
She looked down at the watch she had stolen from him. She had seen him looking at it when they had been stuck underwater. It had to have something to do with the mega deuce.   
"Hey! Can you hear me in there?" Roger's voice came on over the intercom.   
Looking up at the screen Angel saw Roger, that old man and the android standing on what was left of the catwalk. Smiling she said, "Oh Roger, there you are. Hope your head is feeling better."  
Roger smirked up at her. "Just peachy. Now why don't you come out of there right now and we'll discuss this?"  
Angel laughed. "I don't think so. How about instead you tell me how to make this thing move or I'll blast the old man and your little robobimbo?" Roger's face lost all trace of a smile. "Oh I'm sorry, did I insult your girlfriend?"  
She expected Roger to get mad, but instead he smiled even more. "I get the feeling that the only weapon you have is the beam. You can't even move his head. So you are going to come out of there right now, because there is a button, switch, or lever in there which will kill whomever is inside when it is pushed."  
Angel looked around her nervously. "You're bluffing..."  
Roger remained confident. "Lady I'm a negotiator. I don't bluff. If you don't believe me then by all means poke around for a bit and see."   
Angel cursed under her breath. If he was laying it still didn't do her any good, because she couldn't make it move. And if he was telling her the truth then she could kill herself at any second. Plus there was nothing stopping them from coming up to her. Looking around she tried to think up some kind of plan.   
  
As the front of Big O opened up Roger smiled. It was obvious that she had given up. There was no other choice after all. There really was a 'kill me' button in there, but it took a precise series of actions to activate it and he had removed the last button in the series. He wasn't about to tell her that.   
Standing on the edge she looked down at them, sneering when she looked at Dorothy. "So, you're what he loves huh?" Dorothy by this time had regained her control over her face and simply looked at her as deadpan as ever. Angel held out her hand. "Roger I believe this is yours?" She waved his watch in the air. Then with no warning she tossed it into the empty air between what was left of the catwalk.   
Without thinking Roger jumped, grabbing the watch as it fell. Then he reached out to grab the railing... and missed. He began to fall, when Norman caught his arm. Roger smiled up at him. "Thank you Norman."  
Norman began hauling him up. "My pleasure sir." Then he began to slip too.  
Dorothy reached over and lifted them both up, setting them gently on the catwalk. "Are you all right?"  
Norman nodded. "I haven't felt like that in quite some time. Quite the rush it was."  
Roger nodded his agreement. "Thanks Dorothy, you saved us." Dorothy smiled at them. Roger's own grin spread at the same time. "Ah, there it is."   
Dorothy blushed slightly and turned to Big O again. "She is gone."  
Roger and Norman looked up at the now empty robot. "She must be in the elevator sir," Norman said.   
Roger looked over the railing and saw a something step away from the foot far below them. "We'll never get her now."  
Dorothy looked at him. "I can catch her."  
Roger frowned. "Are you sure? It isn't too far?"  
Dorothy looked down again. "No, I will be fine." Without waiting for him to say anything she stepped off the catwalk.   
  
Angel raced towards the door. So she hadn't actually gotten control of the mega deuce. She knew where it was now and once she told her bosses at Paradigm it would only be a matter of time until they had it. Then nothing could stop her from finding out everything.  
Suddenly something hit the ground behind her, cracking the cement under her feet and causing her to trip. Turning around she saw Dorothy standing in a crater. "So, the little dolly is going to try to stop me?"  
Dorothy nodded and stepped towards her. Angel pulled out a gun and pointed it at her. "Stop right there. Robot or not a bullet will still damage you." Dorothy stopped with one leg still raised. "That's a good doll. Maybe I should just kill you now, save time." She aimed and fired directly at Dorothy.   
Dorothy swung her leg under her and flipped into the air, the bullet barely grazing her cheek. Flying up into the air she landed behind Angel and grabbed her arms. Angel pulled and struggled, but Dorothy wouldn't budge an inch. "Let me go!"  
"No," Dorothy said. "You will remain here until Roger says otherwise." She reached out and grabbed the gun, tossing it away.   
Angel snorted. "Oh yes... Roger. You know he'll never love you... how could he? You're just a machine..." She stopped as Dorothy turned her around.   
"You are a rude vindictive person." Dorothy said.   
Angel didn't seem to hear her. She was staring in shock at Dorothy's cheek where the bullet had grazed. A thin line of blood dripped down her cheek. "You... you're bleeding. How can you bleed? You're not real, how could you bleed?"  
Dorothy allowed herself to smirk. "Maybe I'm more real than you think."  
Just then Roger and Norman got there. "Nice work Dorothy, you got her. Now we can take her to Dastin."  
Norman looked at him. "But sir, what if she tells someone about the mega deuce?"  
Roger nodded and looked up at Big O. "You're right... but we can't kill her. What do you think Dorothy?"  
Dorothy looked up. "Why are you asking me?"  
Angel smirked. "Because you're a computer..." She was cut off by Norman's hand.   
The old man looked directly into her eye. "Young lady, if you say one more thing like that about Miss Dorothy I will have no recourse but to forget my manners and remove your tongue." He pulled his hand back. "I can not have you speak that way to the lady of the house."  
Angel looked at him in shock, and then glanced at Roger. "He wouldn't..."  
Roger shrugged. "I'm sure he would. Before he worked for me Norman was in charge of Paradigm's security taskforce. And you know what they do to people who say things they don't like."  
Angel's face became as pale as Dorothy's as her gaze locked on Norman's missing eye. Meanwhile Roger winked at Dorothy. "In fact it's not just insults Norman takes offense to. It's also people who blab secrets, isn't that right Norman."  
"That is correct Master Roger. In my younger years I had to do a great many horrible things. In fact I only got out when Master Roger negotiated my release into his service during one of his infrequent dealings with Paradigm." The old man stared straight at her. "And while I now abhor violence, should anyone find this place, I would have to assume that you told them and take appropriate action."  
She smiled at him, trying to look confident. "If you kill me now they'll come looking for me. And sending me back means I'll be surrounded by the best security system in the world."  
"Which Norman designed. He also scheduled the guard's rounds." Roger said. Then he looked at Dorothy. "And of course we don't have to release you. Dorothy, do you think you could imitate her voice?"  
Angel laughed. "Like she could do that."  
"She's absolutely right. How could I possibly imitate her?" Dorothy asked using Angel's voice exactly.   
Roger grinned. "So you see, we could easily make you just disappear at any time. So what will you do now?"  
  
"And you couldn't find anything?" The owner of Paradigm asked.  
Angel shook her head. "Nothing sir. Despite the coincidences I believe that Roger Smith has nothing to do with the black mega deuce."  
He looked at her closely, and then sighed. "I guess then that it really does run by itself. Well then you are excused." Angel nodded and left the room.  
  
Norman cleared the dishes from the dinner table. Roger smiled at him, "Thank you Norman."  
"My pleasure sir." He said walking to the kitchen.   
Roger smiled across the table at Dorothy, who had been staring at the new picture Roger had painted of her. This one he had done perfectly, making sure to get every detail right. After a minute Dorothy looked at him. "I think I preferred the other one."  
He nodded. "Me too, but if I had just copied it there wouldn't have been much point."  
Dorothy looked back at the painting. "I see." She paused for a minute, and then looked back at him. "Roger, I have a question."  
He grinned. "Ask away."  
"What do you consider me to be? You know I am an android, yet you treat me as a human. In fact if I am to take your actions into account you care for me a great deal." She looked straight at him with no expression on her face.   
Roger blushed and said, "Well that's true Dorothy. Norman and I do consider you a person, just like us."  
"Thank you," She said.   
Roger smiled and stood up. "Well I think it's time for bed..." He looked at her. "On the off chance that you have another nightmare, would you care to join me?"  
Dorothy tilted her head, "Yes, I think I would." She got up and walked over to him. As Roger slipped his hand around her waist Dorothy smiled and looked up at him. "You are still a louse Roger Smith."  
  
We have come to terms  
  
Author's note  
I could have had Roger narrate this. Maybe I should have done it, at least for some parts. But then I wouldn't have been able to do everything I wanted with this story. Big O wasn't exactly the best anime series out there. And this is definitely not the best story that could be written about this. Thanks for reading it. To tell me what you think, email me at clayton_n@hotmail.com 


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